Georgian Parliament Speaker criticises Czech Embassy's “democracy beacon” remark amid hearings on Saakashvili-era abuses

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the Czech Embassy’s attempt to use the term “beacon of democracy” in a positive context amid the personal tragedies of victims of the former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s violent regime, was either ignorance or cynicism.

Papuashvili’s remarks come amid an ongoing parliamentary investigative commission hearing testimonies from victims of the violent regime of Saakashvili.

The Speaker was responding to a statement published on the Czech Embassy’s social media page, which expressed concerns over Georgia’s democratic backsliding.

The Embassy’s statement read: “It is unfortunate to see that Georgia, once the beacon of democracy in the South Caucasus, is now leaning towards authoritarianism - undermining laws that protect media freedom, failing to hold accountable those responsible for physical and digital attacks against journalists, and increasingly using the judiciary and legal system to suppress journalists and media outlets”.

In his response, Papuashvili accused the Czech Embassy of attacking Georgia’s judiciary and state institutions. He argued that the term “beacon of democracy” was closely associated with Saakashvili and served as a symbol of foreign actors covering up crimes committed by his regime.

“Amid the investigative commission’s hearings of personal tragedies suffered under Saakashvili’s violent regime, the Czech Embassy’s attempt to use this term in a positive context is either ignorance or cynicism”, he noted.

Papuashvili further lamented that, instead of condemning and distancing itself from violent actions and rhetoric, including those by organisations funded by the Czech Government, the Embassy had chosen to attack Georgia’s justice system and state institutions.